1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to socket assemblies and, more particularly, to socket assemblies that have a stud which is rotatable about one axis by a greater amount than about another axis.
2. Related Art
Conventional socket assemblies are used in a range of automotive and non-automotive applications. One such automotive application is in a tie rod end for transferring motion between a center link and a knuckle of a vehicle's steering system. Such socket assemblies generally include a housing, a ball stud with a semi-spherical ball head and one or more bearings for facilitating rotation of the ball stud relative to the housing. In typical socket assemblies, the ball stud is able to rotate relative to the housing, within pre-established confines, about three axes.
For certain truck applications, chassis component manufacturers have begun incorporating restricted swing angle socket assemblies, which are restricted from rotation about at least one of the axes, into tie rod assemblies for ensuring a proper alignment between steering linkage components. Such restricted swing axle socket assemblies typically include a preload device which biases one or more of the bearings into engagement with the ball studs. The preload devices are typically made of a rubber or thermoplastic material which may degrade over time. Such degradation could have a number of consequences including, for example, an inconsistent preload, looseness in the steering components, erratic vehicle dynamics and high stresses in critical steering and suspension components.